Saudi Arabia to host PSA Women’s Squash Masters event

Saudi Arabia will host the 2017 Professional Squash Association (PSA) Women’s Squash Masters in October at the Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University in Riyadh, the PSA announced on Wednesday.

The 2017 Saudi PSA Women’s Masters will be one of seven key Women’s PSA World Series Tournaments to take place during the 2017/18 season, joining the U.S. Open, British Open and Hong Kong Open.

“We are very pleased to be taking a Women’s PSA World Series event to Saudi later this year.” PSA Chairman and Saudi businessman Ziad Al-Turki said in a statement. “Bringing professional squash back to Saudi Arabia for the first time since 2010 has been an ambition of mine and I am grateful for the support of the Women’s Department of the Saudi General Authority for Sport to see this come to fruition.

“Not only is squash one of the healthiest sports it is the perfect sport for the Saudi climate. I’m hoping that this tournament will increase local participation in Saudi Arabia, and I look forward to working with all parties involved throughout the next six months insuring continued success for years to come.”

The $165,000 tournament, which will take place Oct. 29-Nov. 2, hopes to inspire “a new generation of Saudis to become active within sport.

“We look forward to growing the female participation of the sport of squash,” Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan, undersecretary president of the Women’s Department of the General Authority for Sport in Saudi Arabia, said in the statement. “It is a dynamic game that involves fast thinking and fast reaction times, skills that are well reflected in the women of Saudi Arabia.”